Half centuries by Marcus North, Chris Cooke and Will Bragg plus three wickets apiece for Michael Hogan and the wily Dean Cosker saw Glamorgan open their account in the Yorkshire Bank40 with a 28-run victory over the Yorkshire Vikings at Colwyn Bay.
With Graham Wagg passing a fitness test on his injured foot and returning to the team, it was Will Bragg and Mark Wallace who opened the batting against Ian Wardlaw and Steve Patterson, with Bragg getting the scoreboard moving by cover driving Wardlaw's fourth delivery and then edging the sixth ball to the vacant third man position. Wallace began by scampering a series of singles before Bragg drilled Wardlaw through extra cover for another four.
After four overs of seam, the spin of Joe Root was introduced at the Penrhyn Avenue End, and Wallace sweetly despatched the second ball to the boundary at backward point. Both batsmen despatched the spinner for further boundaries in his second over but with the total on 49, Patterson bowled Wallace for 10. Chris Cooke announced his arrival by also striking his first two deliveries for four before lofting Patterson for four and guiding him to third man as he continued to deal exclusively in boundaries..
Adil Rashid then entered the attack in place of Patterson and was reverse-swept by Bragg, before Cooke despatched him for another boundary as Glamorgan reached the century mark in the 16th over. Bragg then guided Rashid for four behind square on the off-side as he reached his fifty from 48 balls. Next over, and with the total on 105, he was bowled by Richard Pyrah.
Marcus North duly joined Cooke and after watchful reconnaissance, the Australian greeted Wardlaw's return by steering him through point and mid-wicket as Glamorgan reached 126/2 at the halfway stage. Cooke then biffed Rashid over cover and mid-wicket in consecutive balls to reach a 46-ball fifty. He swiftly added another four to his tally as he drilled Pyrah to the ropes at mid-off, before North did the same later in the over as the runs continued to flow.
But with the total on 151, Cooke chipped a ball back to Patterson who caught the ball one handed above his head in his follow through. His departure for 58 saw Jim Allenby join North and he began with a crisply struck off-drive for four against Patterson before clipping debutant Will Rhodes to fine-leg for four. North repeated the stroke against Patterson before despatching the next ball to third man for another four, as well as clipping Rhodes to long-on for another boundary.
With the total on 190 Allenby miscued a drive against Rhodes and was caught by Root, as Murray Goodwin joined North who reached his fifty with a square drive - his 51st ball and fifth boundary as Glamorgan reached 200 in the 31st over. After a series of ones and twos, Goodwin drilled Wardlaw through mid-off for four before the Welsh county took their batting powerplay.
Goodwin began by flicking Ashraf to fine-leg for four before North punched the same bowler through mid-off for another rasping boundary, before the third boundary in the over saw Goodwin off-drive Ashraf to bring up the fifty stand. North then punched Pyrah through mid-wicket for four, but the bowler then clung onto the next delivery as North departed caught and bowled for 68 with his side on 245/5.
Wagg duly joined Goodwin who nurdled another four before twice depositing Ashraf to fine-leg for further boundaries. But his innings ended as Rhodes took a fine catch at deep mid-wicket, before next ball Wagg departed l.b.w. as Glamorgan became 267/7. Dean Cosker and Will Owen then ensured that the momentum was not lost as the pair guided the Welsh county to 285/7 at the end of their 40 overs.
Wagg gave Glamorgan the perfect start as he bowled Phil Jacques with his second ball before having Root caught off the fourth ball of the innings by a tumbling Cooke at square-leg as the Vikings slipped to 1/2. Gary Balance responded by cover driving Wagg for four before Andrew Gale clipped Michael Hogan to the mid-wicket fence as well as glancing Mike Reed to fine-leg. Balance then on-drove and square-cut Reed for further fours before seeing the Vikings past the fifty mark with a lofted on-drive against Owen as the recovery continued.
Ballance also leg-glanced Allenby for four, before Gale deposited Owen into Penrhyn Avenue for six. Ballance then greeted the return of Reed with an inside edge for four as he completed a 65-ball fifty, but the introduction of Cosker's spin immediately ended his innings as he was stumped advancing down the wicket to a wide delivery. With the total on 93/3 Jonny Bairstow joined his captain as the visitor's required rate rose to almost ten an over.
Bairstow duly unleashed a trio of coruscating straight drives against Reed before Gale reached his fifty from 55 balls. Bairstow then unleashed a fusillade of straight drives against Cosker and Wagg, with the latter being hit straight for four and six in succession before Gale clipped a full toss to fine-leg. But with the total on 159 the Vikings captain was l.b.w. trying to sweep Cosker, as Pyrah joined Bairstow who responded by twice swatting Wagg for four before Pyrah lofted him to long-off for another boundary.
Bairstow duly completed a 34-ball fifty but with the total on 181, Pyrah holed out to long-off to give Cosker a deserved third scalp, with his departure seeing Rashid return for the powerplay with Yorkshire needing 101 from the final ten overs. But Hogan returned and immediately removed the dangerous Bairstow who miscued to Owen at mid-on and departed for a belligerent 53 off 36 balls.
Rashid and Rhodes valiantly tried to maintain the impetus with the latter clubbing a pair of fours as he used the long handle. Rashid also drilled Wagg through extra cover for four before thick-edging an expansive drive against Hogan. With the total on 222, Rhodes was bowled by Owen, before Rashid blasted the seamer for further fours through mid-off and extra cover. Patterson lofted Hogan for four but next ball holed out to Cooke at deep mid-wicket as the Vikings slipped to 235/8.
After Rashid had swatted a no-ball from Owen for six, Wardlaw miscued to mid-off and was caught by Allenby, before Asraf was trapped l.b.w by Hogan - who finished with 3/29 - with the total on 257 to give the Welsh county victory.
